School violence no better or worse since 2008 hears Committee

On 26 February, the Select Committee on Education and Recreation held a meeting to discuss school safety, an issue that was specifically tied to keeping learners in school. The Department of Basic Education told the Committee that school safety involved the community and that parent support is needed as “violence did not always originate at school”.

Chief Director responsible for Social Inclusion and Partnerships in the Department, Dr Shermain Mannah, told the Committee that although it seemed like “schools were burning”, evidence showed that violence had remained constant over a four-year period.

In 2008 a study on school violence was conducted, showing that 22% of secondary school learners surveyed had been exposed or victims of some form of violence in the 12 month period preceding the study. A second study in 2012 showed that even though violence was still high, it still remained constant at 22.2%. This means that in the last four years, with measures in place to combat violence in schools, things have not improved at all.

The study in 2012 comprised of 5 939 learners, 121 principals and 239 educators. The statistics showed that more than a fifth of learners had experienced violence at schools:

· 12.2% had been threatened with violence by someone at school

· 6.3% had been assaulted

· 4.7% had been sexually assaulted or raped

· 4.5% had been robbed at school

· 20% had experienced some form of cyber-bullying

· Educators were often victims of verbal violence (52.1%), physical violence (12.4%) and sexual violence (3.3%) perpetrated by learners.

The majority of the violent acts happened in the classrooms, on the playing fields, corridors and on other open grounds. The Western Cape lead the pack with the highest number of cases of threats and robberies, while the Northern Cape received the highest number of sexual assault cases, and the North West had the highest number of cases of assault, just ahead of the Western Cape.

According to Dr Mannah, South Africa has been a violent society historically, and transformation had not really affected how the country dealt with issues around violence. Remnants of violent protests as a way of getting attention were still very much part of South African life. One of the easiest things to do was to resort to violence instead of using alternative conflict resolution, when one was frustrated.

Members of the Committee expressed their concern about satanic rituals in schools that have been rampant in the news recently. Dr Mannah explained that satanism had recently flared up in certain areas, and investigations showed that young girls were the main instigators of such rituals. It seemed that it was linked to the “lack of positive role models for young women”. The Department was working with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on a pamphlet it would put on its website, on how schools should respond to issues of satanism.

The Department stressed that the focus should not just be on individuals and the schools, “any attempt to curb violence occurring in schools needs to extend beyond the school itself”, and that parental and community support are the “most reliable and cost effective ways to support school safety”.

Dr Mannah urged MPs to consider the need for psychosocial support in schools, as teachers are so busy, they are not always aware when children are suffering psychologically. This was an important factor to consider for teacher training and development, as psychological awareness and intuition is an integral part of the teacher’s reflection. “Teachers needed to be vigilant for changes in a child’s behaviour,” she said.

Read the full report here.